My four stock picks for 2011

I am not a personal finance blogger, nor am I a TV stock picker – please do not take this as advice to go and buy these stocks.

These stocks I am picking are close to me (My wife or I hold a position in these stocks).The majority of these stocks aside from ARISE has a strong dividend component to them.

My Top 4 Stock Picks for 2010

ARISE Technologies Corporation

ARISE Technologies Corporation, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is dedicated to becoming a leader in high-performance, cost-effective solar technology.

Through its dedicated team in Canada and Germany, ARISE is engaged in the development of proprietary technologies for the manufacture of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cells and for the production of lower-cost 7N+ high-purity silicon for PV cells. ARISE also provides turnkey PV solutions for solar farms and rooftop installations.

Current Price: January 3 – $0.165 (APV)

Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is a diversified financial services company and provides personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking, and transaction processing services. The Company operates through five business segments: Canadian Banking, Wealth Management, Insurance, International Banking and Capital Markets.

It performed the worst among the Canadian banks last year – what goes down must come up!

Current Price: January 3 – $52.32 (RY)

Unilever

Unilever plc is one of the parent companies of the Unilever group (Unilever), which is a supplier of consumer goods. It focuses on everyday consumer needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Unilever’s portfolio includes brands, as Knorr, Lipton, Hellmann’s, Magnum, Omo, Dove, Lux and Axe/Lynx.

The stock has a nice 3.59% dividend yield. I usually don’t buy US stocks because of the currency issues but I like this company.

Current Price: January 3 – $31.03 (UL – NYSE)

Exchange Income Corporation

Exchange Income Corporation (EIC), formally Exchange Industrial Income Fund, is a diversified, acquisition-oriented company focused on acquisition opportunities in Canada and/or the United States. The Company operates in two segments: Aviation and Manufacturing. The Aviation segment provides airline services to communities in Manitoba and Nunavut. The Manufacturing segment consists of specialty metal manufacturers in markets throughout Alberta, British Columbia and the United States.

Current Price: January 3 – $17.55 (EIF – TSX)

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